Play With You (Loneliness)

Play With You: Book One Loneliness Series: Chapter 1I am beyond fed up! Our band just finished the last concert in our first tour throughout England. The focus should be on our music - right? Not any individual member, whether vocalist or musician - right? Well, she did it again. Gemma, our other female vocalist, decided that the audience attention should be solely on her. Know what she did? She lifted her top at the end of her song. She went braless tonight, so the audience got the full, erm, "benefit" of their view. Nice going, Gemma. You freakin' little exhibitionist, you.Chapter 2"Oy, lads, look at the applications we've gotten! We're gonna be very busy auditioning potential members to replace She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named," says Tim. I giggle at his little reference.Chapter 3From that time on, I feel a special thrill in my spirit when Marcus shows up at our practice sessions. Regardless of how long practice is, he is there, sitting a short distance away, writing, nodding occasionally and always listening.Chapter 4Now that our band has successfully introduced Laslow to our fans, Nigel, our manager, begins to schedule performances all throughout England. We spend weeks on our tour bus, driving from England proper to far-flung areas like Scotland, Wales, North England, South England and even Ireland. We have sleepers on our bus, so, when Marcus decides to join us, he claims a bed not far from mine. Of course, we can't do anything together on the bus, but just having him nearby is sufficient. He sits to the side of the stage whenever we perform, just as he's done for every practice we've held since Laslow joined the band. On the bus, he sits right behind me, working on his articles. I work on my crochet or I listen to recordings of music we are currently learning. Always, when we aren't listening to our music, crocheting, sleeping or writing, the five of us chat and laugh uproariously. Marcus and I take special pains to keep from spending too much time together or gazing at each other - the lesson of Gemma and the talks that we had with the band's members have made a strong impression on each of us. I am not about to be kicked out of The Lonely Lovers! Under no circumstances will I let that happen. And I don't think Marcus wants to be banned from joining us at practices, concerts or our tours, so we work hard to put forth the facade that we are nothing more than friends. This means that our times together are limited to when we are at home. As the weeks and months move on into summer, more and more of our things find their way into each other's flats. Of course, when group members visit, we have to run madly around and hide what isn't ours so we aren't found out!Chapter 5I keep going over the band's rules. Tim has said it more than once - "Rules are rules."He's also called me the voice of the band.Chapter 6As we hopscotch across the United States, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to hide my feelings. One day, I just can't get out of bed so I can get to our scheduled practice. By now, we're in St. Louis, Missouri. It's a pretty city, but all I see is Marcus' face in front of my eyes as I miss him. Everything reminds me of him. Finally, I'm able to get out of bed two hours late. But only because Tim and Linny are banging on my door and I don't want them irritating other hotel guests.Chapter 7"I've missed you so much!" I tell him.Chapter 8Our flight is uneventful - until we hit turbulence in the North Atlantic. It's late summer, but this part of the world is still buffeted by cold winds. The unpredictable motions of the plane wreak havoc on my tummy. Before long, I am retching into a sick bag. The flight attendant brings a wet washcloth to Marcus for me then fetches hot water and a teabag. I'm sipping carefully on my tea as Marcus goes through my carry-on, looking for the anti-emetic medication. Finding it, he gives it to me with a significant look. I take it, hoping to keep it down. Fortunately, the turbulence smooths out, for now, at least. The medication makes me drowsy and my head slowly slides over until I'm nestled into Marcus's side. I barely feel him taking my e-reader out from under my hand before I fall into deep slumber.Chapter 9At the church, we all gather. I'm in one room with my family and Marcus is in another room with his. Finally, it's time for us to present ourselves to the vicar. Dad walks me down the aisle proudly with a beaming smile on his face.